1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to improvements in solid fuel burning stoves and furnaces and, more particularly, to stoves and furnaces wherein gaseous volatiles given off by primary combustion are themselves ignited and burned in a secondary combustion chamber.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Numerous attempts have been made in the past to provide a stove or furnace which efficiently burns solid fuels, such as coal or wood. When burning such solid fuels, coal in particular, some form of support, such as a grate, must be provided upon which the fuel rests. Further, an outside air intake must be situated below or above the grate. Air is drawn in through the intake and passes up the grate and existing spaces in the fuel, thereby providing oxygen necessary to support combustion. The resulting fire in the combustion chamber provides the heat to warm living or working quarters. However, in previously known solid fuel stoves and furnaces a great deal of the heat potential is lost up the chimney without ever being efficiently converted to heat. In many instances, the byproducts caused by initial combustion are given off as gases which rise up the chimney where they cool and form deposits, commonly known when burning wood, as creosote. The deposits on the chimney can be quite dangerous as they may themselves be ignited resulting in a chimney fire.
Examples of various types of prior furnaces such as described above, may be found in the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 163,009; 229,684; 707,364; 1,484,908; 1,485,545; and 2,070,536.